The present invention relates to a connector, and particularly to a memory card connector for preventing a memory card from short circuit.
With the advance of electronic technology, memory cards are widely used in many electronic devices, such as notebook computers, digital cameras, digital video recorders, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, etc.
Memory cards are a card for recording digital data and have IC chips. The memory cards can be classified into contact type memory cards and non-contact type memory cards. Most of the memory cards are contact type memory cards. The non-contact type memory cards are widely used in for example security systems of low costs.
Many memory cards have different specifications, for example subscriber identity module cards (SIM card) used in various mobile phones; compact flash cards (CF cards) used in digital cameras or digital video recorders; or IC financial cards. These are examples of contact type IC cards. In that, CF cards and SIM cards are widely used.
The memory cards are connected to electronic products by memory card connectors. The conventional connectors has no design for preventing the memory cards from short circuits. After the memory card is inserted into a connector, it is possible to short-circuit with other electronic elements. Moreover, no any device is designed to assure that the memory card has been correctly inserted a connector.
To resolve above problem, an improved memory card connector is invented, as shown in the FIGS. 1 to 3. In this design, an iron case 20 is installed at an outer side of an original connector 10. This iron case 20 is grounded with the circuit of a circuit board for preventing the memory card from short circuit because the memory card is in contact with other adjacent electronic elements. Moreover, a detector is designed for determining whether the memory card is correctly inserted into the connector and the circuit of the circuit board is conducted. This detector includes a detecting terminal 21 connected to the circuit of a circuit board and an elastic piece 22 connected to the iron case 20. When the memory card is inserted into the connector 10, this elastic piece will not contact the detecting terminal 21, and thus the circuit of the connector 10 can not grounded. Thereby, the circuit can not work. This elastic piece 22 is disposed at a distal end that the memory card is correctly inserted into the connector. It can be pushed by the force that the memory card inserts into the connector 10 (referring to FIG. 3). That is, the elastic piece moves reciprocally along the direction that the memory card is inserted into the connector 10. Once the memory card is not inserted into the innermost of the connector 10, the elastic piece 22 will not be in contact with the detecting terminal 21, and thus, the circuit of the connector 10 will not be actuated.
In fact, from the experiences, the memory card is possibly released during the transferring process of the electronic products. Under the condition that the elastic piece 22 is in contact with the detecting terminal 21, a small pushing force is formed along a direction of pushing the memory card. However, this will cause the looseness of the memory card. Therefore, this prior connector easily induce the looseness of the memory card and thus it can not work.
Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a memory card connector for preventing a memory card from short circuit and increasing the reliability.
To achieve the object, the present invention provides a memory card connector for preventing a memory card from short circuit and increasing the reliability. In the present invention, a memory casing enclosing the connector, and a detector and a fastening unit appended to the metal casing are used to achieve above object. In the detector, a metal elastic piece appended to the metal casing serves to convert the force of inserting a memory card to a transversal force. Then, by this force, it contacts the detecting terminal connected to the circuit of a circuit board. Further, the connector is grounded through the metal elastic piece and the metal casing so as to actuate the circuit of the memory card. Furthermore, a fastening material is used to increase the reliability of the memory card. Thus, a memory card connector for preventing a memory card from short circuit is formed.
Furthermore, the fastening unit is formed by two clamping arms at two opposite sides of the memory card. The clamping arms is formed by bending metal material of the memory casing at two opposite sides of the memory card. By the elastic force from the metal material, the memory card inserted into the connector body is clamped.
The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawing.